In the Beginning
by Silmarilz1701
Summary: This story is the prequel to my main work "The Changeling" and sets up Eliza White's back story. Keep this in mind, as the first half is purely original work, with the second half tying in Avengers characters, namely Clint Barton. What happens when a girl with strange powers is abandoned and then is forced to live off the streets in London? Especially when SHIELD gets involved?
1. A Family

A/N: This little fic will explain in more detail Eliza White's upbringing. This will be pretty pointless as a read unless you plan to, or have already read, The Changeling.

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Mrs. Davy opened the door of the orphanage and to her surprise, she found a young child, naked, lying in a small basket. She gave a startled yelp at the sight of the no-doubt chilly baby. After all, the weather man had reported it was a high of 7 Celsius, not a rare thing in London during December. But it WAS a rarity to find a child on one's doorstep.

The orphanage proctor picked up the child and looked it over. It was a girl, not very old. No name was visible, no tag for identification. Mrs. Davy sighed. Another child to raise, but she wouldn't complain. No, this was her job. And she was good at it.

"I think we shall name you… Eliza Jade White, named after my great grandmother."

"Stop it, Eliza! I promise, I'll give you my brownie! Just stop!"

Eliza let go of the younger girl, a smug smile on her face, "That's right. You will give me your dessert, Chloe."

The girl started tearing up and she ran away from Eliza. The others watched and narrowed their eyes at the bully. But no one said or did anything as they all knew who was boss in the orphanage. Even though she was only 13, Eliza White was stronger than the other kids, smarter than the other kids, and meaner than the other kids. She was queen. Old Mrs. Davy didn't take any notice of her bullying, instead always glorifying the girl. But tonight was the night everything would change, turning Eliza's world upside down.

"Girls! It's time for dessert!"

The children all ran down the stairs, eager to eat their food. Tonight was brownie night, after all! Eliza, as usual, was the first in the line and the first to finish eating. Quickly she grabbed Chloe's as well, and the girl didn't protest.

But then someone else did, "Mrs. Davy, Eliza punched Chloe today, and made her give her her brownie!"

"Eliza?!"

"Brenna's lying!"

Suddenly they smelled smoke. Mrs. Davy frowned and went into the kitchen. She gave a shout and the girls rushed to see what the matter was. The kitchen was ablaze! The fire was spreading around the wooden house, spreading like wildfire. The drapes were cloaked in flames, and the rug was already consumed by the inferno.

"Run, girls! Everyone out of the house!"

The others did as they were told but they found the way blocked as they reached the door. Chloe and Brenna screamed as a ball of fire exploded in their faces, and they shielded themselves against the fireball.

Eliza looked around quickly, trying to find an alternate way out. But there was nothing, no other way to escape this dire situation. She realized that the day had come for her to show her true powers. There was simply no other choice. Eliza focused all her brain power on the large wooden beam crossing their path. Suddenly it began to levitate, and the others screamed. They looked at Eliza and saw her eyes were silver, and they backed away. Slowly she moved the beam out of the way and darted through the newly cleared doorway. But instead of stopping at the end of the yard, she just kept running.

She ran for hours, it seemed, not looking back. Eliza knew that Mrs. Davy had seen her use her telekinesis, not to mention the other girls. Surely they'd tell the police, and then she'd be arrested. And that would be the end, if she was lucky. Maybe they'd do tests on her, dissect her, who knew?

So she ran. Eventually she collapsed in exhaustion. She was outside the city of London, in some dark alleyway. She sunk up against the wall at the back, trying to ignore the stench of rotting garbage. She needed water. She had no money, how was she supposed to live? Never mind that, she decided, all she wanted to do was sleep.

Three months she had been on her own. Three wretched months. She'd resorted to shoplifting and homeless shelters for her meals, and she avoided being seen during the day as much as possible. The nights were dangerous, though, and she found that out nearly two weeks ago. Eliza had found herself in a back alley, one she had never been to before. That in and of itself was a rarity. As she settled herself between a dumpster and the back wall, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

She was awoken by strong hands gripping her arms and yanking her up. The man who had gotten hold of her was clothed all in black, with two pistols on either side. Eliza was thrown against the back wall and she was too shocked to do anything.

"I've been sent to kill you, Miss White."

"We'll see how that goes," she boasted, getting her wits together.

The man drew out one of his guns and pointed it at her head. She closed her eyes and suddenly the pistol began heating up, getting so hot that the man had to drop it. He looked at her in fear and she kicked him in the stomach. Grabbing his other gun, she cocked it and shot the man in the head. The gunshot rung out throughout the streets and she quickly climbed up the wall and got onto the roof of the house. Using the roofs as walkways, Eliza carefully traversed the city until she finally reached the outskirts.

And that was how she found the abandoned building she was currently sitting in. Eliza had been surprised to find it uninhabited, but she embraced it. At least there would be a roof over her head. Also, it was the perfect spot for her to leave Diana during the day.  
Diana. She had met the little girl unexpectedly one night, as she patrolled the garbage cans and searched through the dumpsters. A young girl with dark brown hair, messily pulled back and tied with a rope, clothed in ripped pants and a short sleeved shirt. When Eliza had approached her, they initially were suspicious, but soon the two girls got to talking. Eliza found out that Diana was ten years old, and had been living on the streets for almost six months now. She had been with her family but had been separated from them after the rest had managed to stow aboard a train and she hadn't. That accident was how she had suffered the limp she now carried. Fully healed, but healed incorrectly, her leg was twisted at a nasty angle and Diana struggled to walk, let alone find food.

Eliza suggested they work together. She told Diana about the abandoned building she had found and they agreed that Diana would stay there, during the day, with the pistol to ward off other strays, while Eliza would go into town each day to procure their food.

But today, when she had gotten back to the Warren, as they'd taken to calling it, she'd been surprised to find three kids, instead of one.

"Eliza," Diana said hesitantly, "These are Jack and Teddy."

"Are you two street rats too?"

"Yes," said the older of the two boys. His blonde hair was scruffy and dirty, "I'm Jack, and I'm eleven. This is my brother Teddy, and he's eight. We stumbled in here and found Diana. She said we could stay."

"You two will need to pull your own weight, if you want to stay," Eliza stressed.

"We know," Jack nodded quickly, "And we think we've got a good idea. Me and Teddy are simply change magnets. Every passerby gives us something when we're out begging."

Eliza looked the two boys over. They were pretty cute, with their large blue eyes and blonde hair. Maybe they could be useful.

"Alright, you two can stay. The rules are simple. Meet back here every night by 10:00. Don't use any of the money yourself- it's for me to spend on food and clothing. Is that understood?"

"Agreed."

And so began the growth of the Family, as they called themselves. Eliza White was the leader of the Family, in charge of the money and daily operations. Within three years, they numbered thirteen. In addition to Jack, Teddy, and Diana (now ages 13, 10, and 12), there was Arianna age 7, Darren age 9, Thomas age 13, Kiara age 8, Jolene (Jo) age 11, Oliver age 9, the twins Derek and Libby aged 12, and little Jenny age 4. They depended on one another, each with a specific task that they completed for the betterment of the Family.

Thomas and Jack, the two eldest boys, were the guards. They kept an eye out around the Warren, always looking for trouble. If anyone got too close, they took care of them.

Jolene and Libby were in charge of the begging operations. One would take Jenny out on the street corners, and the other would take Arianna and Kiara.

Oliver and Darren were the sentries. They spent the day staked throughout the city on various rooftops or walking around the streets, watching out for trouble in the city or potential allies. Both were incredibly fast runners, making their jobs easier.

Teddy and Derek were the shoppers. Eliza often went herself to procure food but her reputation had grown among the London citizens, so she was often thrown out of stores for being a trouble maker. As such, she tended to stick to foraging through trash. Teddy and Derek, however, had no reputation in London, and were the perfect gentlemen when it came to shopping for food. No one noticed the boys stuffing their bags with extra food.

Eliza was often out for two or three days without coming back as the years went on. She was out searching for more kids to bring into her Family. She was very protective of her kids, as she called them, and she wanted to bring more into the safety of her fold. She couldn't forget what had happened to her before the Family. She had been assaulted multiple times, raped twice, and left for dead. She realized it was much safer in groups, and Eliza wanted to help the other kids out there. This particular night, however, she was on her way home to the Warren. As usual, she doubled back several times to throw any of the spies or assassins which had cropped up over the years, learning about her superpowers. Agents from Russia and the United States had both attempted to kidnap her, but had failed. She couldn't forget the blood on her hands.

"Liz," Arianna shouted happily, and the little girl came running over. She jumped into a large hug with Eliza, and soon Liz was surrounded by the younger members of the Family.

Suddenly though, she felt a presence. Eliza couldn't explain it, but she turned around, pushing the children behind her and there in the doorway was a man dressed in black, a bow strapped across his chest and a quiver on his back.

"Eliza White. I'm Hawkeye."

"What in bloody hell do you want, Hawkeye, or should I slit your throat?"

"No need for that. I'm part of a multinational organization who has taken an interest in you. I mean you no harm," said Hawkeye.

Eliza laughed at that, and she used her magic to send a spear of ice flying at the man's chest. He was quick to dodge it, and Eliza didn't have time to react as he rolled forward towards her and punched her hard in the jaw. As she stood in shock and pain, Hawkeye grabbed Oliver and placed a knife on his throat. The boy looked at Eliza with pleading eyes, his expression full of fear, yet also of trust. He knew Eliza would get him out of this alive.

"I should have killed you on sight," she seethed angrily.

"I don't mean you nor your little group any harm. I merely have a proposal to make you," Hawkeye said, staring her down.

"I'm not listening to a word you say until you let the boy go. He's not part of this discussion, Hawkeye, if that's your real name," she spat.

She could almost see him weighing the options in his head. If he let Oliver go, he was either very desperate or very stupid, and she doubted it was the latter because he'd managed to track her, unnoticed, all the way back to the Warren. In the end however, he let go of Oliver and pushed the boy away. Immediately Eliza drew one of the rusty daggers she kept on her belt and she threw it at Hawkeye. It embedded itself in his leg, but the dagger was small, so it didn't go deep. He ran forward and grabbed Eliza by the arms, twisting them so they were stuck behind her back.

"Listen kid, this is gonna work one of two ways. Either you listen to me like an adult, or I snap your neck. Your choice."

Eliza was about to reply when the doors of the Warren crashed open. She shouted for the kids to scatter, and Hawkeye quickly drew back into the shadows, not sure of what he was to find.

Three men walked in, muscular, with two dogs. They started cooing into the shadows, making little clicky noises like they were calling a dog.

"Come 'ere you little termites," the leader said with a smirk.

Hawkeye suddenly dropped his hold on Eliza and silently drew his bow, notching an arrow on the string. But before he could fire it, Eliza ran out infront of the men and spoke.

"Don't harm the kids. I promise you, I'll do whatever you want, no complaints. No objections. I won't even try to run. What fun can you have with some little kids compared to a teenage girl? Just don't harm them."

The leader laughed and with a motion of his hand, one of his companions grabbed Eliza by the throat. Instead of struggling, Eliza merely waited.

With a twang and a thud, an arrow imbedded itself in her captor's side, causing him to drop the girl and fall down, dead. Eliza, drawing her larger, non-throwing knife stabbed the second man forcefully in the chest, her magic causing the blade to heat, and killed him as well.

Before Hawkeye could fire another shot, the leader had grabbed a dagger and stabbed Eliza in the leg, causing a deep wound as he slashed her skin open. Blood began to soak her pants and she fell down to her knees. Immediately her attacker was down in a heap.

"Find something to use for bandages," Hawkeye barked the order to the older children. They nodded quickly and took off rummaging through their first aid stores. They came back with some old strips of cloth and ripped up clothes.

Eliza struggled against Hawkeye's firm grip has he wrapped her wound, telling her quietly to calm down, that everything would be fine if she just trusted him. Trust him? How could she trust a man that had very likely been sent to kill her? But then why would he be trying to save her?

"It would be best if you would come back with me to my base of operations. You can get seen to by medical experts," Hawkeye told her.

"No," Eliza firmly objected, "There's no way I'm leaving my kids behind. They need me."

Hawkeye thought for a moment before making his mind up, "They can come too. It won't be too difficult to transport all of us there. What do you say? They can get food, clothing, medicine, education. Everything they need."

Eliza was trapped, and she knew it. If she refused, she would be condemning her Family to a life of misery and pain and poverty. If she accepted, she would no longer be free, but her family would be safer than if they were on the streets. She could tell Hawkeye knew he had her trapped.

"Very well."

They stayed in the building that night, letting Hawkeye rest his injured leg. He'd tended to it after Eliza's injuries, and it wasn't too bad, so he was confident he could walk with it tomorrow. He was sure the medical teams at SHIELD would disagree, but that was beside the point.

In the morning the children gathered up their few personal belongings: a teddy bear here, a shirt there. Hawkeye led them through through back woods to a private air strip where a plane of some sort was parked. He told them to get in. It was a squeeze, but they all fit, and up into the air they went. Eliza was unconscious, her blood loss getting worse with each minute. Had he not had the young children with him, Hawkeye would have made the trip last night. But he couldn't so there was no use worrying about it.

Within a few hours, the plan landed on what seemed to the children to be an aircraft carrier.

"This is Agent Barton, tell Fury I'm bringing in thirteen refugees, one seriously injured."

"Yes, sir."

He shut off the radio and landed the plane on the deck. Quickly he opened the back of the plane and told the children to go outside. He lifted Eliza up off the ground and carried her out, shutting the plane behind him. He led the children inside the ship, telling them to keep quiet and follow him.

"Agent Barton, report to the bridge. Now."

Hawkeye touched his ear piece to reply, "Understood, sir. But uh, I've got company."

He led them onwards, soon reaching a large command center. The children realized that they were now floating in the air, and some of them stared out the window in awe.

"Director," Hawkeye nodded, still holding Eliza, "This is the girl."

"And who the hell are these," a tall black man with an eye patch asked, voice a mix of anger and surprise.

"We're her family," little Jenny said in her squeaky, high pitched voice.

The others nodded emphatically.

"Well, Agent Barton, get these kids off my bridge. Take them… down to medical or something."

Hawkeye smirked and nodded, before telling the children to follow him again and leading them through the ship. Eventually they reached an infirmary, and the nurses and doctors took over from there. Hawkeye lay Eliza down on a table and then had a nurse check over his own wound so he could get back to work. After it was cleaned and stitched, he told the children he'd be back later.

They didn't see Hawkeye again that day until late at night, when most of the younger children were asleep. Diana, Jack, Thomas, Derek, and Libby were the only ones awake, and Hawkeye sat down with them on the floor, back against the wall. He had never been very good with kids, but he could connect with these street rats. He'd been one of them. He'd had to resort to crime to get food and water each day, turning into a petty thief with quite a name for himself. Then he'd been introduced to a SHIELD agent and had turned his ways, a new career offered to him. Now he was one of the best agents SHIELD had available.

He talked to them about Eliza, finding out what he could from their firsthand accounts of her powers. They had all known, and not really cared, seeing as how it kept them alive. Only Diana seemed still suspicious of Hawkeye, having not been lulled into a sense of security by the food, water, and clothing provided to the children.

Hawkeye sensed he'd have to take this in stride. As soon as Eliza woke, however, he could get straight to the point. He had a teenager to turn into a SHIELD agent, and he intended to earn her respect and trust by the end of it.


	2. Waking Up

Natasha was sitting in the infirmary, watching over the sleeping teenage girl. Clint had brought her by the day before, and she'd been unresponsive since. Her leg had been in pretty bad shape, but it was already remarkably healed up. Agent Romanoff couldn't help but feel a bit curious as to this girl's powers. After all, over the past year she'd become well acquainted with superheroes. Being an Avenger had that as one of the side-affects.

Clint had asked her to sit in with this girl while he went to talk to Fury about something. As Natasha gazed on the teenager's gentle features and still-messy hair, she reflected on what life must have been like for her on the streets of London. Nat had read Clint's report; it seemed she'd formed some sort of kid club with other street children, calling it the Family and living in a warehouse known as the Warren. It was intriguing, to say the least, as she had little doubt that it would have been difficult to coordinate a big time set up with children ranging from age 4 to 15.

So she examined the few things she knew about this Eliza Jade White. She wasn't human. That much was evident, given her high metabolism and strange DNA. She had telepathic and telekinetic powers. They'd known this before Clint had even contacted her. She was stronger than an average girl of her age. Clint had the bruises to attest to that.

Natasha was jerked from her musings as Eliza made a small whimper and began to stir. Nat didn't move, instead simply watching the girl warily from where she sat next to the door.

Eliza sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. When she opened them, she caught sight of the agent and merely watched her for a moment, before finally speaking.

"Where is Hawkeye?"

"Agent Barton will be back momentarily. He left me here in charge."

"You? What's your name?"

"I'm Agent Romanoff. I'm Barton's partner in this organization."

She nodded wearily and lay back down. Natasha was just thinking about how incredibly calm this girl was, especially given the circumstances. But all of a sudden, Eliza sat up and slid out of bed.

"Where are my kids? Where are they? I need to see them!"

"Wow there," Natasha leapt up and blocked her way to the door, "You aren't going anywhere. Get back in your bed, Ms. White."

"No! Let me see them!"

Natasha struggled with the girl, amazed at how strong she was. The two were nearly evenly matched, though the agent had a slight advantage, being taller.

"Get out of my way!"

Natasha suddenly felt the room getting cold and she realized that icicles were beginning to form on the ceiling. Eliza's eyes were a silvery-light blue, and her body was frigid.

Nat was about to punch her in the head when Clint opened the door behind her.

"What the hell is going on?"

Eliza immediately calmed down, the ice beginning to recede and her eyes returning to their normal grey color. Her body temperature returned to normal, and she let go of Natasha's arm.

"Please, Hawkeye, I need to see my Family!"

"You can't right now, Eliza, just calm down. I'll take you to see them later, alright? They're safe, trust me. I talked with some of them last night. You need to rest."

Eliza nodded, albeit reluctantly, and crawled back into her bed. Clint sent Natasha a look, and she nodded, leaving the room but standing right outside the door for Clint.

"I'll be back later, and then we can take you to see the others, I promise. Stay here until then, and try not to make a mess of things. We don't want any flooding."

"If you aren't back before midnight, I'm leaving this cell, whether you want me to or not," she threatened quietly.

Clint raised an eyebrow at that, "It's not a cell."

"Call it what you will."

He left her alone, leaving the room and turning to the Black Widow as he closed the door.

"What did Fury want," Natasha asked him as they walked.

"He wanted an update on her. I recommended we give her a full psych exam, because I'm not sure just how stable she is in the head."

"Yeah," Romanoff snorted, "She's a bit panicky."

"Have you met the others yet?"

"No," she shook her head, "I've only had time to meet Eliza. Are there any other good SHIELD candidates?"

"There are a few. One of the elder boys, named Jack, is a strong one. He's bright too. At thirteen he could easily start in an engineering program or something. There's a nine year old named Oliver, too, who's got potential. I found him sneaking around the ship this morning. Somehow he managed to stay out of sight until I ran into him."

"What about the girls?"

"The only noticeable one is Jolene, and she's eleven. She's got brains, but not much brawn. Could be because she's been starved half her life, though."

"So why the interest in Eliza," Natasha finally asked.

Clint smirked, "Aside from the obvious?"

Nat sent him a look that said she wasn't amused.

"I don't know. Something about her. She could be a real asset to SHIELD."

"So, this has nothing to do with a certain agent's own history with living on the streets?"

Barton rolled his eyes, "Really, Nat, I'm not that soft."

It was her turn to smirk.

"In all honesty, though, if she has control over her abilities like our reports say she does, imagine the help she could be!"

"I suppose you're right. When will you start training her?"

"That depends on the results of the psych examination. If they give her the all clear, maybe a few days. If not, could take a few months," he explained.

"When's the test," she asked him.

Clint glanced at his phone, "Should be any minute now."

An hour later and Clint was eating lunch in his quarters when he got a call from Director Fury.

"Agent Barton, the results for the test are done and Doctor Wesel is up here on the bridge."

"On my way."

Clint got up and decided to call Romanoff, "Hey Nat, the results are in. Meet me on the bridge."

"On my way."

When the two finally arrived, Fury gestured for them to sit down. They joined the director and an older looking man at the table

"I'm afraid the results aren't what you hoped for," the doctor sighed, "She's got all the symptoms of someone with severe clinical depression and conduct disorder. I'd not be surprised if she had multiple traumatic experiences while on the streets in London, which may add to her erratic behavior. I'd be on the lookout for suicidal behavior, if I were you."

Fury nodded and turned to Barton, "You still want this kid in SHIELD?"

Clint remained silent for a few moments, thinking it over. Thinking about the horrible childhood he'd had as an orphan. Thinking about his brother who'd used him. Thinking about his life with the circus, and on the streets, and what it was like to be labeled a criminal when he wasn't one. Well, that wasn't true, he supposed. He'd been a petty thief, and had killed a gang member once, but that was it. Then he'd joined SHIELD, and his life had changed dramatically. He'd even been privileged enough to save someone else from a horrid life, and give them a second chance with SHIELD. Natasha was living proof there was hope for lost causes. And so was he.

"Yes."

Fury, Dr. Wesel, and Romanoff stared at him in surprise. All three had thought he'd change his mind. After all, dealing with someone with so many emotional problems would be a pain, and take a lot of time. He was an agent of SHIELD. He had work to do. Did he really have the time to train a traumatized, scared, and above all, powerful teenager?

"Are you sure, Agent Barton," Wesel asked, concerned, "I was not exaggerating when I warned about suicidal behavior."

"I know you weren't, and yes, I am sure. After all, who doesn't like a challenge?"

"Fine, Barton, you have one year to get this kid on SHIELD's active list, at least as a trainee. If she fails, on your head be it," Fury warned him, "Dismissed."

Clint and Natasha decided to head back to see Eliza. He had convinced the Russian to help him train Eliza, and at the moment they were going to go take the telepath to see the other kids.

"Think you can whip this kid in to shape in a year," Natasha asked him skeptically, "Emotionally, I mean."

"I'm sure as hell gonna try."


	3. The First Attempt

_A/N: So this is a more in depth look at what Tony Stark read about in__** Chapter 17: Dismal Background **__of the fic __**The Changeling.**_

_Warning: Potentially triggering (Attempted Suicide by overdose)_

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It wasn't until about a month after she was first brought in that Clint Barton began training Eliza. She was hesitant at first, trying not to harm anyone, or so it seemed. Clint didn't really need to do much in the way of intelligence stuff; as soon as he'd introduced her to basic programming, she'd quickly become an outstanding hacker. No, the more important task ahead of Barton was teaching Eliza how to restrain herself in battle and teach her specific fighting techniques.

Natasha Romanoff helped as much as she could, training Eliza in hand-to-hand and gunmanship, while Barton did the same, but also introduced Eliza to archery and helped her hone her skills with daggers, both close-combat and ranged-combat.

Nearly another month into training, she'd gotten herself injured when she had gotten stuck behind a sealed door after a massive chemical explosion. The resulting smoke and gas caused her to black-out, and she inhaled dangerous chemicals. If she hadn't had superhuman healing powers, she probably would have died.

Three days later she awoke to find herself in the infirmary, still too weak to stand up. She went on like this for several days, improving at a faster rate than even expected for her. But she had missed something crucial, something that Barton had been meaning to tell her but hadn't gotten around to it.

"I feel much better," Eliza told her nurse, "Can't I go and see them?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Nurse Reilly shook her head.

"Why not?"

Eliza watched as her nurse hesitated, "Well, Miss White, nearly all the children who were brought in with you were dropped off at the base we stopped at while you were unconscious."

Eliza stared at her, open mouthed, and shouted in horror and despair, "No!"  
Suddenly her eyes turned silver and things began swirling around the room. Nurse Reilly screamed, and tried to get away but she was struck in the head by a large steel container and she fell, unconscious.

Eliza was in too much grief to notice. The only people who had ever cared for her, who had ever trusted her, and who Eliza had ever cared about were gone. They were gone, and she never even got to say goodbye. It wasn't until Clint Barton and Doctor Wesel burst in and found the girl in tears while kneeling on the floor several minutes later that anyone realized that Nurse Reilly was out cold. By now the room was still again, the only sound being the sobs of the traumatized girl.

Dr. Wesel immediately hoisted Nurse Reilly up and took her out of the room, hoping she was still able to be saved. Clint was staring, jaw dropped, at the cluttered room and the sobbing girl. It was the first time he truly saw her powers at their rawest form. Unsure of what to do, he started off by telling her he was there.

"Hey, Eliza, it's Clint. Is it alright if I go near you?"

No reply. Alright, Clint decided not to risk anything and sat down where he was.

"I need to know what happened."

"Why did you not tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That my Family was being dropped off?"

Oh.

"I was going to, but then the whole accident happened, and I wanted to wake until you were fully recovered to tell you."

"I never even got to say goodbye."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Clint nodded, "But I need to know what happened. Why was Nurse Reilly unconscious?"

Eliza jerked her head up and stared at Clint in confusion. What had he said? Nurse Reilly was unconscious? Oh god, what had she done…

"Oh no. Oh no. I didn't mean to, Clint, I didn't! Please, I swear," she said, borderline hysterical.

"Calm down, I believe you."

"Leave me alone. I'll only injure you too. I'll do something to hurt you. Go away."

Clint bit his lip and wished he could disagree with her, but he saw the objects around him on the floor beginning to rattle, as if coming to life. He pushed himself up and out the door, and ran to check on Nurse Reilly.

"Is she alright," he asked.

The doctor shook his head, "She's got severe brain damage, and she's in a coma now."

They heard a blood curdling scream come from Eliza's room, and Barton quickly used the nearest computer console to pull of the security feed. Objects were flying around her room, and Eliza was still kneeling on the floor in the middle of it all. It took several minutes, but soon the feed showed her fall asleep and the room returned to normal.

"Barton, I need a report now on your trainee," Fury called from the bridge.

"On my way, sir."

They closed down the video feed and Barton, with a heavy heart, set off up to the bridge. He called Natasha and asked her to come keep an eye on Eliza.

In the meantime, Eliza had woken up from her ten minute drift into unconsciousness and looked around at what she had done. Her grief and despair were still present, but now she was cold. She coldly accepted the truth that she was a danger to this world, a monster that had to be stopped. She knew that if she kept on living, someone else would end up hurt.

She glanced on the floor and noticed that in her rage she had broken the doors off a small cooler that remained locked because it refrigerated certain concentrated medications and drugs.

Drugs.

She scrambled up and ran to the cabinet. Most of the vials were broken and spilled, but several in the way back were still intact. She grabbed three vials, and read their labels. Two were depressants and one was a strong painkiller. She searched the room and found a syringe. Sticking it in the first of the vials, she drew out a substantial amount of the medical drug and with a deep breath she plunged it into her arm. Eliza repeated the process another two times with the other two bottles and soon began feeling sick.

Her heart was racing, then slowing, then racing again. She felt nauseous, and a vile taste set in in her mouth. Within several minutes she felt a heat-flash, and then after that a cold-flash. Her head was reeling. She had a few moments of regret before suddenly panicking. What if someone found her? What if she didn't die? What would Hawkeye think? How weak she was, how selfish! If only they realized she was doing this to help them live a better life!

Eventually she fell to her knees, unable to stay upright any more. Another minute and she was down, blacked out cold. Her heart was still racing, still slowing, still racing again. She was sweating profusely. And then Natasha found her.

"DOCTOR!"

All she knew was that Eliza had accidently injured one of the nurses and that Fury had wanted to talk to Clint. He hadn't wanted to leave Eliza alone for long, so she'd come to sit in with her. Now, when she'd finally gotten here after getting caught up in the halls, she'd found Eliza unconscious, barely breathing. Beside her hand was a syringe and three nearly-empty vials of medication. Oh god. She'd tried to kill herself then.

Once the medical staff was on hand and taking control of the situation, Natasha got out of there. Clint needed to know. She sprinted up to the bridge and interrupted Barton and Fury.

"Clint! Clint, Eliza overdosed!"

Both men stared at her in shock. Agent Hill, having overheard, also reacted in a similar fashion.

"The medical staff is on hand and taking care of everything. What happened that made her want to kill herself," Natasha demanded angrily, directing the question both at Barton and Fury.

Clint explained the news she'd gotten, how she'd reacted, and how devastated she'd been to learn she'd injured Nurse Reilly.

"Agent Barton, if this girl survives this, so help me god, you are not training her."

"Excuse me, director, but isn't that MY prerogative," Barton demanded angrily.

Fury scowled, "As of right now she is going to be regarded as a threat, not an asset. Is that understood? I have half a mind to throw her in the brig, what with all the commotion she's causing around here!"

Clint breathed heavily. Why was he so concerned about this girl? Was it as Natasha had suggested months ago? Was it because she had seen what he'd seen, gone through what he'd endured? Was it because she'd been a victim of the same pain he'd faced? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to let Fury punish her for what she did. Not while there was anything he could do about it.

"Fury, if you take away my apprentice, I swear to god, I will quit SHIELD. Then we'll see just what kind of threat SHIELD faces. Without me to help, have fun getting another agent as well trained as me."

Natasha stared at him, shell-shocked. She admired his courage, even if she didn't fully understand it. Nevertheless, she'd stand by her brother-in-arms.

"I second that, Director."

Fury stared at them either like they were insane, like they had grown two heads, or like they'd just threatened to resign. Oh wait, they had. He was speechless. Why did this random teenage girl mean anything to them?

"Very well," he snarled through gritted teeth, "Keep the girl on as your shadow. But keep her out of trouble. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Get out."


	4. San Francisco

_A/N: These events correspond with Chapter 75 of The Changeling but can be read as a one-shot within this series._

_Read, Review, and Smile Always!_

* * *

San Francisco. A beautiful city, really. Crime wasn't very high and the air was clean. The school districts were decent. Overall, a nice place to visit. Unless, of course, the reason for your visit was a group of escaped criminals.

Clint, Natasha, and Eliza had been sent by Fury last night and arrived late. This morning they would get to work. They'd been sent in to recapture a pair of master thieves by the names of Zoe Ishihara and a woman identified only as the Black Bat. They were to be brought to SHIELD for questioning because they were believed to be connected to the Unified Guild, a combined thieves and assassins guild originating in New Orleans that had started to spread elsewhere in America.

At the moment, the three SHIELD agents were in the middle of a city park, trying to figure out where to go.

"I told you," Eliza grumbled, "The head of the police said to go that way."

Clint muttered some unintelligible.

"She's right, Clint," Natasha nodded, "Come on."

"I'm telling you, I've been a thief," he shook his head, "They'd have split up by now and gone in two different directions. If you two want to head that way, be my guest, but I'm staying on my own course."

"Suit yourself," Natasha snorted.

Eliza rolled her eyes at her supervising officer. She still had yet to get used to his ever present independent streak. In this case, she decided to go with Natasha. Agent Romanoff was decent enough company anyways.

"Shall we," Eliza asked.

Natasha nodded, "Let's go."

The two women walked back the way they came, determined to locate the two master thieves as quickly as possible.

"Come on, let's head this way," Eliza suggested, "After all, we got the lead that they'd be in the area."

Natasha nodded and together they began searching the alleyways.

"This would go quicker if we split up," Eliza suggested after a couple dozen minutes.

Romanoff sighed, she was right. "Alright, I'll check out here, you check inside."

Eliza nodded and pushed open the old, broken down door. The building was large, dilapidated, and abandoned. The perfect place for a thief to hide. Eliza pulled out her pistol and readied it- just in case. Using the flashlight in her other hand, she searched room after room after room.

Natasha finished up outside and decided to join the young agent in training inside the building. But she couldn't find Eliza. Suddenly Natasha heard a gunshot ring out. Immediately she panicked, sure that the girl had been shot.

Meanwhile, Eliza was pushing a woman against a wall with a large fallen beam, using her telekinesis.

"I can tell," the woman said slickly, "You're one of us. Maybe not a Guild member, no, but you've done your fair share of robberies and assassinations. Haven't you?"

"Shut up."

"Or what," the woman taunted, "You'll shoot my other leg?"

"Maybe," Eliza threatened, "Or maybe I'll shoot your head this time instead. Don't make me regret following orders and letting you live."

"And who's orders are you following," the thief asked slyly.

"I'm- wait a minute," she narrowed her eyes, "You're good. I'll give you that much. Almost had me there. Sorry, I'm not taking the bait though."

The woman smirked. But at that moment two things happened very fast. First, Natasha came bounding around the corner, gun up and ready to shoot. The second was that the thief had managed to reach the dagger in her boot and she threw it at Eliza.

Fortunately for Eliza, she had a good reaction time. She threw her hand up and stopped the knife in midair right before it struck her face.

"You alright, White," Natasha asked the girl.

"Of course, Romanoff. I'm not completely useless," Eliza said in annoyance.

"Never said you were."

Natasha walked up to the red-headed thief and handcuffed her while Eliza dropped the beam and walked over to make sure all firearms and sharp objects were taken off the prisoner.

"You must be the Black Bat," Natasha smirked, "I'm glad to finally meet you in person. I'm Black Widow. And you're now a prisoner of SHIELD."

"Joy," sneered the woman.

Eliza smirked, "Treasure this time before we get you back to the Helicarrier."

Black Bat allowed herself to look unsettled for a brief moment before re-applying her emotionless mask.

Natasha pushed her at gun point forward, and the three women marched out of the building. Fortunately for the Black Bat, Eliza had fired a small, non-penetrating bullet designed by SHIELD to inflict pain without leaving a wound, so she was able to walk without much assistance.

They took the criminal to the police station and handed her over to the police officers and SHIELD agents.

"Is Agent Barton not back yet," Natasha smirked.

"No, he's not."

"Do you think he's alright," Eliza asked, moderately concerned.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Natasha assured her, "He does this a lot."

"What are we going to do while we wait," Eliza asked, almost to herself.

"We've got an air hockey table in the back," one of the police officers told them.

Natasha and Eliza both smirked and quickly followed the men to an adjacent room. Inside there was indeed an air hockey table and they began taking turns.

By the time Clint returned a few hours later, the rooms were filled with shouting, both cheers and sighs, and he deposited his escapee with the sheriff before joining the others in the back room.

Just as he walked in the doorway, Eliza swung her arm backwards in celebration and accidently slapped him in the face.

"Woops."

Clint was stunned for a moment before grinning devilishly.

"My turn."


End file.
